Little Englander

Little \Lit"tle\ (l[i^]t"t'l), a. [The regular comparative and
   superlative of this word, littler and littlest, are often
   used as comparatives of the sense small; but in the sense
   few, less, or, rarely, lesser is the proper comparative and
   least is the superlative. See {Lesser}. The regular form,
   littlest, occurs also in some of the English provinces, and
   occasionally in colloquial language. " Where love is great,
   the littlest doubts are fear." --Shak.] [OE. litel, lutel,
   AS. l[=y]tel, l[imac]tel, l[=y]t; akin to OS. littil, D.
   luttel, LG. l["u]tt, OHG. luzzil, MHG. l["u]tzel; and perh.
   to AS. lytig deceitful, lot deceit, Goth. liuts deceitful,
   lut[=o]n to deceive; cf. also Icel. l[imac]till little, Sw.
   liten, Dan. liden, lille, Goth. leitils, which appear to have
   a different root vowel.]
   1. Small in size or extent; not big; diminutive; -- opposed
      to {big} or {large}; as, a little body; a little animal; a
      little piece of ground; a little hill; a little distance;
      a little child.
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            He sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for
            the press, because he was little of stature. --Luke
                                                  xix. 3.
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   2. Short in duration; brief; as, a little sleep.
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            Best him enough: after a little time,
            I'll beat him too.                    --Shak.
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   3. Small in quantity or amount; not much; as, a little food;
      a little air or water.
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            Conceited of their little wisdoms, and doting upon
            their own fancies.                    --Barrow.
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   4. Small in dignity, power, or importance; not great;
      insignificant; contemptible.
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            When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou
            not made the head of the tribes?      --I Sam. xv.
                                                  17.
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   5. Small in force or efficiency; not strong; weak; slight;
      inconsiderable; as, little attention or exertion;little
      effort; little care or diligence.
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            By sad experiment I know
            How little weight my words with thee can find.
                                                  --Milton.
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   6. Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow;
      contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous.
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            The long-necked geese of the world that are ever
            hissing dispraise,
            Because their natures are little.     --Tennyson.
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   {Little chief}. (Zool.) See {Chief hare}.

   {Little Englander}, an Englishman opposed to territorial
      expansion of the British Empire. See {Antiimperialism},
      above. Hence:

   {Little Englandism}.

   {Little finger}, the fourth and smallest finger of the hand.
      

   {Little go} (Eng. Universities), a public examination about
      the middle of the course, which is less strict and
      important than the final one; -- called also {smalls}. Cf.
      {Great go}, under {Great}. --Thackeray.

   {Little hours} (R. C. Ch.), the offices of prime, tierce,
      sext, and nones. Vespers and compline are sometimes
      included.

   {Little-neck clam}, or {Little neck} (Zool.), the quahog, or
      round clam.

   {Little ones}, young children.
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            The men, and the women, and the little ones. --Deut.
                                                  ii. 34.
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   {Little peach}, a disease of peaches in which the fruit is
      much dwarfed, and the leaves grow small and thin. The
      cause is not known.

   {Little Rhod"y}, Rhode Island; -- a nickname alluding to its
      small size. It is the smallest State of the United States.
      

   {Little Sisters of the Poor} (R. C. Ch.), an order of women
      who care for old men and women and infirm poor, for whom
      special houses are built. It was established at St.
      Servan, Britany, France, in 1840, by the Abb['e] Le
      Pailleur.

   {Little slam} (Bridge Whist), the winning of 12 out of the 13
      tricks. It counts 20 points on the honor score. Contrasted
      with {grand slam}.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]